Context
- Geologists predict that the African continent’s rift in the Afar Triangle could lead to the formation of a new ocean in 5 to 10 million years.
About
- The Afar Triangle is also known as the Afar Depression, located in the Horn of Africa.
- The Afar Triangle is a geological depression where three tectonic plates—the Nubian, Somali, and Arabian plates converge.
- This area is part of the East African Rift system, which extends from the Afar region down through eastern Africa.
- The rifting process occurring here is a result of the tectonic plates slowly moving apart, a phenomenon that has been taking place for millions of years.
Formation of New Ocean
- In 2005, a 35-mile-long rift opened up in the Ethiopian desert, signaling the ongoing separation of the African continent.
- This rift is the surface expression of deep-seated tectonic forces at work, as the Somali plate moves away from the Nubian plate, stretching and thinning the Earth’s crust.
- Geologists predict that in 5 to 10 million years, the tectonic movement will eventually split the African continent into two, creating a new ocean basin.
- This new body of water would be the result of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden flooding over the Afar region and into the East African Rift Valley.
- Consequently, this part of East Africa would evolve into its distinct continent